


Untitled Siren Fic

by StarfruitSpice



Category: Borderlands (Video Games)
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, M/M, Siren Rhys
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-26
Updated: 2019-06-26
Packaged: 2020-05-20 07:15:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,938
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19371892
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StarfruitSpice/pseuds/StarfruitSpice
Summary: Jack met Rhys before he was CEO. Then he meets Rhys again after, and takes Rhys with him to Pandora.





	Untitled Siren Fic

      It was late, and Tassiter had been pushing Jack's buttons once again. The man’s smug voice still rang in Jack’s ears. ‘Go do something useful, and talk to Crane about the siren detection device. Jack scoffed. As if Tassiter actually cared about sirens. He just wanted to get Jack out of his hair. 

      Jack continued to grumble as he walked towards R&D, kicking his feet and glaring at the ground. Crane was a creepy little man, always just slightly more wet than any human had any right to be. Plus, Jack was less than keen for Crane’s device to work, since it would mean Jack’s daughter would be discovered. Jack hummed to himself. He could always make a few modifications that would mess up the progress. 

      A sudden flash of light, and a muffled scream down the corridor broke Jack out of his thoughts. Acting quickly, he ran, sliding to a halt at the door. On the ground, Crane twitched erratically, blood spilling past his lips in little fountains. Jack looked up to the man standing above him. The guy looked harmless, tugging his left sleeve down to his wrist as he stared at Jack like a deer in headlights. His bright electric blue eye was dimming as Jack tried to figure out what was happening, as he looked between the body and the softest looking Hyperion employee he’d ever seen. Slicked back, wavy brown hair just slightly out of place as the man fidgeted under Jack's gaze. 

      “What- What even happened here?” 

      “I-” The man nervously licked his lips, and Jack found his eyes drawn to the movement. “I just needed help.”

      “Help? He’s-”  The body was still now, Crane’s eyes blankly looking at nothing. “Pretty well dead. Not gonna lie, I don't think anyone’s gonna miss him.” 

      “You're not gonna report me?” 

      Jack laughed, harsh and breathy. “Please, do you know how often we lose scientists in r&d? No one will even know.” Jack stepped in, closer to the man, watching as his lithe frame stiffened in fear. 

      “So… you really won't tell anyone?" He watched Jack through his lashes, tilting his head down submissively. “I can… trust you?”

      Jack gave him a winning grin. “Of course. Ol’ Jack would never sell out a new friend.”

      “Well, I’m glad to have Jack as a friend. I’m Rhys.” He straightened up, suddenly growing more confident. He stepped around Jack, smiling warmly. “I should go before anyone else comes looking for Crane but… I’ll see you around, right?”

 

      “What’d you mean ‘We can’t find him’!” Jack growled, slamming a fist down on his desk. “It's been 4 days!”

      The two workers cowered. The shorter of the two stepped forward, stammering out some excuse Jack ignored before shooting him in the head. He waited for the second to say something, watching as the worker looked at the body in horror before looking back at Jack. 

      Soon enough both bodies were being removed from his office as he rubbed his aching temples. Sheets of paper were scattered over his desk as he tried to locate the bandit that had infiltrated his station. The longer the cretin stayed just out of Jack's reach, the longer sensitive information would be in danger of reaching his competitors. 

      Jack groaned as he stretched his legs under his desk. He’d been in his chair for much too long, and his stomach was beginning to protest. He grumpily stood, wincing as his joints protested the sudden use. The hub was always bustling with employees, and as  Jack watched them through the glass in his elevator as he descended, a group of them seemed to be running about doing one of their finger gun fights. Jack rolled his eyes, not in the mood to mess with them that day. 

      He stepped out into the hub, surprised at how the chaos seemed to stop around him. The finger gun fight still went on, but it gave him a wide berth, avoiding doing anything to incur his wrath. Just the way he liked it. He made his way to the security offices, fully intending on giving Henderson a piece of his mind, when he was suddenly pushed by a body. 

      The hub went silent, as Jack caught his footing, turning angrily to find two workers looking at him horrified. One looked significantly more roughed up, his black hair out of place, and hands just barely grazing over the neck of the other smaller worker. The smaller worker with strikingly familiar eyes. One brown, and the other a bright blue, both settling something deep in Jack’s mind, memories bubbling to the surface.

      “Rhys.” Jack murmured. Rhys looked up surprised, but said nothing as the other man took a quick step away. Jack stared for a moment before deciding to say nothing, and leave for Henderson's office. He’d lost track of Rhys in the chaos during the Dahl attack, and his own delusional madness brought on by the vault. By the time he’d even thought to check up on Rhys, he was sure Rhys would have moved on. 

      He heard steps behind him, and he chose to ignore the soft clack of heels as he kept walking with intent. He wasn’t going to run, but he definitely quickened his pace. He had a mission, and he couldn't let a reunion distract him. Jack heard the steps slow to a stop behind him, and he let out a breath he didn't know he had been holding. 

 

      Henderson had nothing to report, simply cowering as Jack yelled about the fact that bandits had somehow boarded the station, and it was Henderson's job to keep them out. The man whimpered out apologies as Jack rolled his eyes and stormed out of the office. Jack rested against a pillar in an empty back hallway, watching the stars twinkle in the void, and thought. 

      If he were a bandit where would he hide? The vents were full of security sensors, there was no place to hide there. The maintenance shafts were impossible to get into without proper clearance, and even if they had gotten in, there were turrets placed at every corner to kill any unauthorized access. 

      Jack frowned deeper. The only safe place to hide was in the residential district. In one of the apartments. Jack had a program that let him know when workers were killed on his desktop back in his office, but there hadn't been any unusual deaths, so it was unlikely the bandit had killed anyone to take their safe space. Which meant the bandit likely had help from the inside.

      Groaning, he pushed himself off the pillar to walk back to his apartment, done thinking about the issue that plagued him for the past week. He tiredly rubbed his eyes, as he walked through the hall. Clearly he needed time to rest and take a look at the situation with a fresh mind. He’d get someone else to do his backlog of paperwork, so he could focus better. 

      Stopping in his tracks he realized he had no one to push the work off on. His secretary had quit just a month prior. He had air locked his PA after a disastrous mistake where he had released sensitive information about a new line to Maliwan. And his VP was already busy off station with some problems that had arisen in one of their pandoran research facilities. 

      Racking his brain for what he could do, he supposed it would simply be easiest to hire some new employees, but he didn't know anyone who was trustworthy enough to jump right into doing his paperwork. As he thought, brown and blue mismatched eyes came to his mind, drowning out anything else. 

      Rhys. Rhys had always been organized. Jack bit his lip. It was a terrible idea, bringing Rhys back into his life, and dumping a ton of paperwork on him. He really didn't have the time to screen anyone, and he really didn't trust anyone else. 

      He really was going to regret this wasn't he.

 

      “Will Rhys Fairfield please report to Handsome Jack’s office. We won't ask twice.”

      It was dramatic, but it ensured workers wouldn't try to slink away from a directly ordered meeting with Jack himself. But Jack still nervously spun himself in his chair, scratching a small spot on his hand as he stared at Elpis. Would Rhys be mad that Jack had all but abandoned him when Dahl had attacked? Would Rhys understand?

      There was a knock on his door, the custom now that his secretary was gone. Jack took a deep breath and pressed a button to let Rhys in. The doors clicked, and there were a few soft steps before Jack’s heard Rhys’s voice. Just a tinge more mature than he had last heard it. 

      “Hello? Handsome Jack, Sir?” A few more steps. “You called me in?”

      Jack turned dramatically in his chair to look at Rhys. His fingers were steeped in front of him. Rhys looked nervous, but otherwise good. His curly mop of hair was slicked back into a rather fetching style. The arm was well worn, but still the signature Hyperion yellow, and well taken care of. His clothes were clean, crisp, and looked nice on his body.

      Rhys looked really good. And Jack almost forgot what he had called Rhys up for. Clearing his throat, Jack shifted into a more intimidating posture. “Yep. I'm in need of a new personal assistant, and a new secretary. But I’m having some trouble picking." He waved a hand, for the illusion that he really didn't care. “I figure I can give you one job, and have you do the hiring for the other. So that’s what I'm doing. Go wild, cupcake.”

      He heard Rhys stammer as he spun his chair back around to catch his breath. He could normally keep his cool for much longer, but seeing his old friend made his heart pound in his ears. The guilt and exhilaration pooling in his chest and making it hard to breathe. 

      Jack closed his eyes as he remembered the look of fear in Rhys’s eyes when he was locked into the escape pod that Jack had tricked him into. Jack wasn't going to let Dahl hurt Rhys, but he couldn't leave his station. He never ended up having time after the vault to find Rhys, and by the time he had the luxury of time, he was sure Rhys wanted nothing to do with him. 

      “I don't even know what you’re looking for!” Rhys called out after a moment of Jack’s silence. “You can’t not care.” 

      “I care. But I’m trusting you, pumpkin." He waved a hand to the side of the chair, where Rhys would be able to see it. “Make sure you're back here tomorrow at 6 with your decision.”

      Rhys had indeed arrived with another in tow, a woman named Yvette, to be his secretary. She had worked out well, having just the right amount of backbone for the job of dealing with idiots. The two of them made a good pair, Yvette handling the front side of things and keeping unnecessary interruptions at bay, while Rhys handled things internally. 

      Jack had been able to successfully pawn off the paperwork to Rhys, who had initially organized it all by importance until Jack clarified Rhys was meant to do it. Rhys had seemed disappointed, but had gotten it done quickly regardless. Which had left Jack free to find the traitor, and the bandit. A small apartment raid and the bug that had been tormenting Jack’s station was squashed. And a nest was revealed. The apartment was full of plans and instructions that led Jack down a rabbit hole that led him straight to a hideout. The bandits had big plans for an important Hyperion research facility. And Jack fully intended to stop it. 

      “Rhys!” Jack burst into his office, strong stride carrying him easily. It had taken him a while not to go weak at the knees around Rhys, but he’d trained himself well. Jack forcefully slapped his hands on Rhys’s desk, watching as Rhys jumped back. Ignoring his stinging palms, grinning wide, Jack looked down at Rhys’s startled face. “You wanna go to Pandora with me?”

      “Did I do something wrong?” Rhys whimpered as he rolled his seat back away from the desk. “I- I can fix it-”

      Jack waved his hand. “This isn't- C’mon it’s not a punishment. It’ll be fun." He stepped around the desk, and grabbed Rhys by the wrist and pulled him up. He slung his arm around Rhys’s shoulders. “Just you, me, the critters in the research tanks and some bandits on the hill.”

      Rhys swallowed hard, before giving Jack a weak glare. “That sure sounds like a punishment.”

      “Oh come on.” Jack tried jutting out his lip in an exaggerated pout. “Pretty please? For me? Rhysie? Cupcake?”

      “No! I’d be useless!” Rhys gently pushed Jack away. “I can't even shoot a gun!” 

      “I could teach you.” For emphasis, Jack patted the gun at his side.

      Rhys crossed his arms and looked away from Jack. “I don't want to get shot.” 

      Jack dramatically pulled Rhys close again. “I could be your shield.”

      “I don't really want you shot either.” Rhys looked down, hand rubbing at his arm, a light blush spreading across his cheeks.

      “Then I'll have to be such a good shooter that they won't even have time to get their guns.” Jack knelt down on his knees, and held Rhys’s hands in his own. “Please? You wouldn’t want me to go alone, would you?”

      Rhys stared at him for a minute, before sighing. “I don't really have a choice, do I?”

      Soon enough they were launched out of a moonshot, onto the dry Pandoran desert. Jack had them sitting in a rather pretty little car, packed with all the gear they could possibly need. Rhys had been apprehensive, but the moment the walls around them broke around them, and Jack hit the acceleration, Rhys lightened up. Suddenly Pandora wasn't so bad, driving down the road at 150 miles an hour. Rhys excitedly bounced in his seat as he watched the scenery go by, Jack occasionally taking a sideways glance to see the bright face he missed seeing. 

      Even at the incredible speed Jack was enjoying, it still took them until dark to get to the facility- the problems with having an orbiting space station was that it made it hard to aim at things on the other side of the planet. They pulled into the gate, and watched as it closed behind them. Rhys was a little wobbly legged as he stepped out of the car, but still in good spirits as he and Jack retired to the cafeteria for dinner.

      “That wasn’t as bad as I thought it was going to be.” He said as they sat down in a private corner. Jack looked up curiously, but Rhys was already poking at his food. 

      “What’d you mean? I told you landing was easy.” He scoffed before digging in himself. 

      “I mean, when you said,” Rhys lowered his voice and puffed out his chest- clearly to imitate Jack. “-Hey, kiddo, you're ok with gettin’ shot outta this moon canon right?- I was so sure we were gonna die. I mean, I didn’t think you could just drive out of the container like that.”

      “Pfft-” Jack stifled a laugh. “C’mon, kidd- Rhys. Trust me a little more, would you?”

      Rhys smiled at him, before looking down at his food. “I guess I should. Trusting you is more fun isn’t it.”

      After eating Jack took Rhys back to the rooms he’d had set up for them. He’d been hoping for some time to spend giving Rhys a tour, but the way Rhys was nodding off even as he brought food to his lips made Jack reconsider. They had time. 

      He could have just sent loaderbots to destroy the bandit camp, and he was fully aware of this fact. But, he also knew that Rhys was closed off. Rhys never acted like Jack was anything but his boss, and Jack wanted to change that. They had been friends before, sure, but this time, Jack wasnt going to chicken out of telling Rhys how he felt. He had read once in in a magazine that a zoo trip was a perfect date, and while he didn't really have a zoo, the animal facilities that were ready to be attacked were similar. Two birds one gun.

      Most of the enclosures were open air, instead of locked behind gates and glass like they were on Helios, so they resembled a traditional zoo much more than his own animal collection in the research sector of R&D. And Jack was sure Rhys would love it. As much as he tried to hide it, Jack still caught Rhys looking at cute cat videos, and the occasional Pandoran fauna documentary clips from Sir Hammerlock. It was the perfect plan, that much Jack knew. 

 

      The sun was bright early in the morning. When Jack went to wake Rhys up, the man was still in bed, refusing to get up no matter how much Jack stared. Rhys was cute when he was asleep, it was almost a shame to get him up, but Jack had needs. 

      First Jack ripped off the covers, but all Rhys did was roll over and curl into a ball. Jack noted the cute pjs, socks and the small peak of skin and tattoo under Rhys’s shirt. Next, Jack tried just picking him up. Rhys was light enough that he could do so with little strain, but Rhys slept away. Finally, Jack took Rhys to the pool. He had expected the cold air to wake Rhys up before Jack had even got there, but Rhys curled around Jack, burying his face in the crook of Jack’s neck. Jack felt a little bad as he started rocking Rhys to get a good throw, but he wanted Rhys to be awake, and Rhys wasn't being awake. Of course, he hadn't expected Rhys to grab him around the neck as he tossed Rhys in, effectively throwing off Jack’s balance and making him fall into the pool as well. 

      Jack surfaced to hear Rhys’s gasping breaths, and a splash of water straight to the face. “You-” Rhys’s voice was nasally, and stifled from the water. “You asshole!”

      “You weren’t waking up!” Jack tried and failed not to laugh. “I had no choice! And hey! You dragged me in too!”

      Rhys splashed him again, but the beginnings of laughter were bubbling up. “You’re lucky my arm is waterproof.” Rhys swam over to the edge, and started to pull himself out, when Jack grabbed him around the middle and pulled him back in. Rhys tried to kick him, but under the water his kicks didn't do much damage. Jack let him go, but grabbed Rhys’s ankle before he got out of the water, but Rhys instinctively kicked again- this time getting Jack in the face with a wet sock, a lot harder than Jack had expected. He recoiled, letting Rhys go again. 

      “Oh! Shit, Jack!” Rhys leaned over the side of the pool, face full of concern. “Oh, I didn't kick you that hard did I?” 

      Jack removed his hand to wave Rhys off, ignoring Rhys’s gasp. “I’m fine, I've had worse punches from a goliath.” 

      “Your nose is bleeding.”

      “... Shit, is it?”

      After Jack’s nose stopped bleeding they headed back to their rooms to shower and change, Jack regretting dressing before waking Rhys up, now that he had to change again. Things went quicker the second time around, if only because Jack had to grab his pajama top since he had planned on just wearing his usual outfit the whole week. He threw his clothes in the wash, and set his electronics out to dry. He sighed as he checked over once more to check everything was fine, and not too terribly damaged from tossing Rhys into the pool.

      Then there was a knock at his door, and there was Rhys, waiting in a very casual outfit. He smiled, and tilted his head out. Right. Jack had promised a tour. But first-

      “You wanna get breakfast first? The tour might take a while.” 

      “Oh, sure.” Rhys seemed disappointed for a second, before he was grabbing Jack by the arm and starting to pull him towards the cafeteria, barely letting Jack close his door. “C’mon! I wanna see the animals.”

      “Aliens, babe. They're not really animals.” Jack didn't see the appeal, but Rhys was excited at least. That was a good sign. Right?

      They ate, Rhys excitedly talking about all the useless facts he’d learned from hammerlock’s video series on the fauna, and how excited he was to see what Hyperion's research facilities did for the creatures. Rhys practically shoveled the food into his mouth, obviously wanting to hurry to the enclosures. Jack took the hint, and ate as quickly as he could, and was soon putting on his best grin as he pulled Rhys towards the start of the enclosures, making sure to leave the best for last. 

      “I’m sure you’ve seen skags so we can-” 

      “Actually, I've never seen a skag in person.” Rhys tapped a finger to his lips. “They see pretty cute in Hammerlock’s videos though.”

      “Cute- You think those things are cute?” Jack was appalled. “They shit outta their face!”

      Rhys wrinkled his nose a bit. “Yeah, but is that really any different from a dog throwing up in your shoes?” 

      Jack stared for a moment as they kept walking. “That’s different, it's not a normal occurrence.”

      Rhys scoffed. “Then it's not gross either. It’s natural.” Rolling his eyes, Jack mentally added skags to the tour. They had plenty of time. Plenty. 

      Jack took them past his original starting corridor- the torks, who at least made interesting patterns in the dirt that made up their home- down to where the skags were kept. The skags might be gross to Jack, but he had seen some bandits training them as pets and guards, and Jack wanted to unlock the secrets. 

      So it wasn’t a surprise when he saw some of the scientists putting on protective clothing and holding buckets of meat. Clearly, it was breakfast time for the skags. Rhys practically ran up to ask questions about their diet, their habitat, what sort of grooming they require, how active they were and- Jack stopped listening after that to stare pensively at the stupid dog like beasts. They act like dogs, they moved like dogs, but they tended to be much more aggressive, and with their alien anatomy, much more dangerous. 

      A skag could tear a person apart rather quickly, if they wanted to which is why the scientists used cautious and put on protective gear- Jack tore his eyes from the glass when he heard a frightened shriek behind him. Rhys was gone, along with one of the buckets. He turned back to the enclosure to see Rhys happily feeding the skags, and the skags not attacking him. One skag walked around Rhys, but only head butted his legs gently, not at all like Jack had seen in the demonstrations. 

      “I thought they were still hostile?” Jack gave a scientist an accusatory glare. “Since when do they act like that around anyone?” 

      “Well- uh- well sir, it seems, since today they are being much more… agreeable?" The scientist removed the helmet from the uniform. “We tried to get him to wear the gear since he wanted to feed them but he refused and just… went in there.”

      “Well, get him out before he hurts himself!” 

      Rhys was out 10 minutes later after having fed both buckets to the skags, and sat down and pet them thoroughly. He was still giddy as they walked to the next enclosure- the torks. “I really thought they might be more wiry than they were. They felt more like soft leather than hard plates.” 

      Jack internally sighed as Rhys rattled off excitedly about his experience with the skags- as though Jack hadn't been trying not to freak out the entire time Rhys let those creatures lick him, letting their mouths dangerously close to Rhys’s throat and face. Thankfully, the torks were not fed by going into the enclosure, so Rhys had no chance of sneaking in without Jack’s knowledge. 

      “Oh, wow! Are these torks? I thought they only lived on the moon!” Rhys ran up to the glass, watching as the little insects ran from where he suddenly appeared. He pouted softly before looking back at Jack, as though he would bring them back.

      “They are native to Elpis, sure, but we wanted to study how they do under different gravity. They seem to like the soil. Not so much people.” Jack wrapped an arm around Rhys’s waist. “Of course, they seem to over breed. They were getting a little cramped and we had to cull a few.”

      Rhys’s eyes went wide, before looking back to the tork’s den- where a few seemed to be coming out of hiding to quickly walk past Rhys to get to other chambers. “Has Hyperion made shrink rays yet?”

      “Shrink- what?”

      “Shrink rays. Maybe if they were smaller you wouldn't need so much space, and you wouldn't have to kill any.” Rhys looked at Jack with a nervous grin. “They’d be like an ant farm, but so much cooler!”

      Jack stared at him, dumbfounded. He’d never met anyone so interested in the fauna. Sure, he’d hoped this would be a good date, but he had expected Rhys to be so bored by the tour the two of them would chat and get to know each other.

      “Oh, you could use it on the skags too, oh my god can you imagine little itty bitty skags? Ugh, that would be adorable.” Rhys pressed a cheek against the glass, scaring off a tork that had been curiously watching him, only making Rhys pout more.

      Jack couldn't help but laugh. “I think if they were smaller, they’d be even more scared of you. C’mon, there's more to see.” Jack smirked. “Just no more trying to get in the enclosures. These ones aren’t being tamed.”

      Rhys nodded sadly, staring longingly after the torks, as he slowly followed Jack. They stopped by the threshers, which Rhys found fascinating to watch, and Jack found himself telling the story of the time that his doppleganger thought he was helping Hammerlock by launching one from the moon.

      The bullymongs were next, and Rhys wrinkled his nose at them, to Jack’s delight. “They can’t break the glass can they? They're supposed to be really strong.”

      “Please, Hyperion’s glass is made of shit so strong Torgue could shoot a missile out his ass and it still wouldn't crack.” Jack rubbed his chin. “But it's probably best not to test it.” They headed further into the facility, looking from creature to creature, until finally they came to Jack’s favorite. 

      “Behold! The best critter we have here!”

      “Jack, that one’s empty.” Rhys pressed his nose against the glass, trying to find any sign of movement. “All that in there is a bunch of mushrooms and weird pods.”

      Jack laughed. “Please, they're in there." He leaned against the glass, and tapped a few times, hoping to get their attention. All at once the ground shimmered, and 3 separate stalkers near the window jumped at the glass, causing Rhys to leap away and fall on his ass. 

      “Oof!” Rhys looked up eyes wide. “What the hell was that?!”

      “Stalkers. They're these interesting little guys that can turn invisible.” Jack went to grab his pocket watch, instead just grabbing his own chest. He quickly put his hand down, hoping Rhys hadn't noticed. “They are what helped us develop toys like my pocket watch, which is actually a cloak.”

      Rhys just curled his legs under him, raptly listening as Jack explained what little he knew about the stalkers.Jack was surprised himself with how much he had picked up despite not even listening to the scientists explaining anything. 

      Eventually Jack helped Rhys up and they had lunch, and spent the rest of the day planning the defense of the facility. Rhys had a few ideas on programming upgrades for the turrets, and better security programs for the lock-down sequences. Jack had intended on just shooting anything that came within a mile of the facility. 

      They continued working on the security for a few days, Rhys insisting that they needed to work instead of doing the little activities Jack had planned, but on the fourth night of being at the facility Jack had a brilliant idea on how to get Rhys to pay attention to him.

      “Rhys! Today, you learn to shoot!” Jack burst into Rhys’s room, barely giving the man enough time to cover himself from Jack’s playfully stern gaze. “There's a shooting gallery here, and I think we can find an easy enough gun for you to handle.” 

      Rhys stammered as Jack pulled him up, and out of his room. He made sure to shut Rhys’s door, and dragged Rhys down the halls to the small range. The targets were a bit farther than Jack would want for an ammetuer, but it would have to do. He turned to address Rhys to find Rhys trying to pull his shirt down.

      “C’mon kiddo, you gotta learn sometime if you're gonna work directly under me.” Jack gestured to a table where he had set out 3 different guns, all Hyperion, but with less recoil than his usual choice. 

      “What’s the difference?” Rhys shuffled over, clearly uncomfortable. He picked a gun up more carefully than necessary, before setting it down to examine the next in a similar fashion. “They look the same.”

      Jack scoffed. “You work at a gun company, and you can't tell?”

      Rhys shrugged. “I was a code monkey, Jack. I didn't look at the guns.”

      “Alright.” Jack pinched the bridge of his nose. “Just pick the one that feels right. And I'll show you how to stand.”

      Rhys grabbed the gun in the middle, and went over to the first window. Jack went over the basics, sneaking a hand to Rhys’s low back as he explained aiming, and getting handsy to correct Rhys’s posture. Once he felt Rhys was ready to fire a shot, he gave Rhys the word.

      BANG! Rhys hit a perfect bullseye. Jack frowned. “Beginner's luck. Let’s see how you do with a moving target.” 

      “I’m not shooting an animal, Jack.”

      “Not an animal!” Jack wiggled the remote he pulled out of his pocket. “There's actual moving targets.” He pressed the button, letting the hidden conveyor belts pull targets across the range, targets shaped like people, bandits, psychos, and fauna rotated around the field. “Now, lets see you shoot all the psychos.”

      After an hour, Jack decided Rhys had to have lied about training. “I swear! I've never shot a gun!”

      “You got 90% of the targets you were aiming at! No one is that good on their first time!” Jack gestured behind Rhys, where the foam models stood, with hundreds of perfect shots littered about them. “And you didn't shoot a single foam creature!”

      Rhys shrugged. “I used to take archery, maybe the aiming is just that similar?” Jack grabbed the gun from him, tossing it on the table before angrily leaving the room, not caring if Rhys followed. He wasn't jealous Rhys had an easy time. Definitely not.

      It took another few days for Jack to finally get bored. He was sitting on his bed while Rhys sat at the desk. “They were supposed to attack already.” 

      Rhys hummed softly in response as he wrote on some blueprints. Jack threw a paper airplane he’d made out of his own to get Rhys’s attention. 

      “Ow! Hey!” Rhys turned and pouted. “I was listening!”

      “No you weren't.” Jack scowled at Rhys, before throwing himself dramatically back onto the bed. “They were supposed to attack yesterday.”

      “And the day before that apparently” Rhys turned back to his blueprints. “And the day before that. When exactly were they supposed to do anything?”

      “The file said officially 3 days ago.” Jack pouted to the ceiling. “I was hoping for a firefight by now.”

      “Maybe they changed their mind when they saw a car driving really fast down the road.” Jack glared at Rhys’s back, but Rhys seemed to be mostly ignoring him now. Pulling out his echo, he decided to ignore Rhys right back. Or at least, he was about to.

      There was a frantic knocking on the door. Rhys seemed startled, and glanced at Jack before getting up to answer it. The moment Rhys started to open the door, a scientist was pushing his way in.

      “Sir! There's a huge storm coming! We’ve never seen anything like it." The man wrung his hands nervously. “What do we do?”

      Jack sat up. “What would you have done if I wasn’t here?”

      “We- well… We would have probably gone into the bunker.”

      Jack gave the man a look, before shooing him out. “Ugh, idiots. C’mon, lets pack some stuff, we’re gonna have to go with until the storm passes.” Rhys was quiet behind him. Jack turned, only to find Rhys gone, and the door still open. “Rhys?”

      Running out into the hall, Jack saw motion to his left- towards the entrance. He followed the glimpse, running to the gate into the facility. There he saw Rhys, staring into the storm, a wall of dust, smaller than what Jack would have expected. 

      “That's… Not much of a storm. That’s what they were worried about?” Jack stepped up next to Rhys. When he looked at Rhys’s face, he saw the echo eye glowing. “What’s up?”

      “It’s not a storm. It’s cars.” Rhys’s brow gently furrowed. “It’s the bandits.”

      Finally. “So, not a threat?” Jack placed a hand on Rhys’s shoulder. “Cool, I'll get my guns and tell those idiots to-”

      “They’ve got missiles.” The bandits were close enough for Jack to see the cars in the rapidly approaching cloud of dust. 

      “So?” It would be a matter of seconds before the bandits would be close enough to start shooting.

      “You left your shield in the room.” Rhys glared accusingly. “And the building shield is in the bunker. There's no way we’d survive even an indirect hit!” 

      Jack tried to look tough, he was a hero after all. “Well, we’ll just shoot them first." He pulled his pistol from his holster, and pushed Rhys behind him as the bandits finally started shooting, bullets whizzing past them as Jack pushed Rhys further back into the compound. 

      “Let’s just get to the car!” Rhys is pulling on his arm, trying to get him to go with, but the fire in his blood wills him to stay and finish the fight. He takes aim and fires, hitting one of the bandits driving, causing them to lose control, and swerving into another. Rhys pulls on him again and he turns to see Rhys’s wide fearful eyes looking back at him. Just like they had in the escape pod. Jack's heart stops.

      Before Jack can say anything, Rhys screams, and collapses to the ground, clutching his leg where a fresh bullet wound blossoms with blood. Tears stream down his face, and Jack knows there's no way Rhys will be able to run like that. He looks back to the bandits, more pissed off than he had been before. He hears the missile before he sees it, flying towards him and Rhys. 

      “Jack!” Rhys’s scream ripped through the air, as pure energy rushes past Jack, forming into a bright blue glow around him. The missile exploded as though it hit a pane of the strongest glass Jack could ever have imagined. Jack turned just in time to see Rhys, shirt burned off, tattoos glowing, and two shimmering wings sprouting from his back as he hung in the air, for just a moment, before time sped back up and he came crashing to the ground.

      Jack felt the heat from the missile wash over him as the barrier dissolved, but his focus was on Rhys. Debris flew around him, hitting the ground with harsh cracks. The force of the  explosion blew his hair out of place, but none of that mattered as Rhys looked up, giving Jack a soft smile, before passing out. Jack picked him in an instant, and ran. The car wasn’t far, and a hell of a lot closer than the bunker. 

      He hears another missile get fired, and he ducks behind a hallway, watching as the explosion takes out a wall on the inner courtyard. Taking the chance, he bolts past and into the garage on the other side of the rubble. He carefully sets Rhys in the passenger side, before getting in the driver's seat himself. 

      He drives off into the desert, bullets ricocheting off the chassis as he speeds past the bandits. They don't even have time to chase him as he easily out speeds them, disappearing into the desert. It takes him a while to actually reach a safe pick up zone, and then even longer for the ship to arrive. He frets over Rhys, tending to the wound in his leg while they waited. Rhys stayed asleep. Jack checks more than necessary.

      When Rhys was finally safe in the hospital, Jack was furious. A facility that was surely lost to bandits. A siren under his nose. And Rhys was injured. The first hour back, he called in a force of loader bots to clean out the bandits, and he hoped that the creatures were at least still contained. The second day, his anger ebbed. Of course Rhys wouldn't have told him. The loader bots had cleared out the bandits with minimal damage to the inner facility. The third day, Jack didn't leave Rhys’s side as he slept. Jack knew he'd never given Rhys much reason to trust him. The scientists were safely recovered from the bunker. 

      Jack woke up early in the morning on the 4th day, Rhys still motionless on the bed. He sighed and got up, intending to get himself some breakfast when a hand softly grabbed his jacket. Rhys wasn’t quite awake, his eyes unfocused and his eyelids fluttering open and shut. Jack grabbed his hand and gently set it on Rhys’s chest, before making his way out of the room, informing a nurse of Rhys’s state.

      He returned after breakfast to Rhys holding his legs to his chest and staring into space. He cleared his throat to inform Rhys of his presence, but Rhys stayed quiet and motionless. He walked over slowly, hoping Rhys would at least look up at him, but when he didn't, Jack rested a hand softly in Rhys’s hair. Rhys shut his eyes, but still said nothing.

      “Do you recognize me?” It was barely a whisper, since Jack didn't want to scare Rhys. Finally, Rhys was looking up at him, confusion in his eyes.

      “What?” He relaxed a little, spreading his legs out just a small amount. “Of course I recognize you, sir. Your face is-”

      “That's not what I meant Rhys.” Jack frowned when Rhys looked at him like he was crazy. No wonder Rhys hadn’t cared. “We knew each other when Tassiter was still CEO. We met when you killed that scientist.”

      Jack wanted to look away, but he firmly watched as Rhys’s emotions ran their course. Shock, confusion, then finally, undeniable recognition. “Jack? You-” Jack shut his eyes, waiting for Rhys to just say whatever was on his mind. “You're alive?” Rhys’s voice cracked, and Jack opened his eyes to Rhys crying, but- smiling? 

      “What?” Rhys threw himself around Jack’s neck, who caught him gently. Jack rested his hand's on Rhys's hips. “What’d you mean ‘alive’?”

      “They told me you were dead! I mean, I figured Handsome- uh, well you I guess- looked like you, but… you looked a lot older. Where’d this grey streak even come from? You didn't have it when I left.” Rhys reached up and played with the grey lock a bit before resting his hands back on Jack’s shoulders. Jack just stared at him silently, watching as Rhys frowned and looked away. “I thought you were gonna yell at me for not telling you I was a siren.”

      Jack chuckled. “Well, it definitely makes things make more sense. I mean especially how you killed that guy. I think I was just blinded by- uh, well it's not important.”

      Rhys cocked his head. “Blinded by what? What could possibly blind you to the bright blue glow.”

      Looking away, Jack shifted, setting Rhys down on the bed before sitting next to him. It was now or never, he supposed. “I sorta did- and uh, still kinda do have feelings for you. The entire trip to Pandora was supposed to be a little getaway. I mean there was a bandit attack that was supposed to happen, but-”

      The next thing Jack knew, Rhys was pressing his lips against him. He pulled away with a grin, amused by Jack's stunned silence. “Next time, take me on a normal date. You'll do better”

      Jack grinned at Rhys, before pulling him close and kissing him again. Suddenly the lights flickered and sparked, making Jack jump and pull away, but he saw the dazed smile and soft glow of Rhys’s tattoos. 

      He smiled sheepishly. “I’m a little rusty at controlling my powers I guess. It's been a while since I used them so much.” 

      “Just don’t blow anything up and we’re good." 

 


End file.
